#TransRightsAreHumanRights

 

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the courage it takes to live openly and authentically.

This year #TransDayOfVisibility is a reminder that in too many places across this country officials are denying our trans siblings their human rights. From taking away their right to play sports or use gender affirming bathrooms to criminalizing their parents and doctors for loving and supporting them as well as not allowing their teachers to even use the word Trans.

And this denying of human rights is on top of the already high rates of murder experienced by these communities especially trans women of color. So in addition to worrying if you are safe leaving your door you have to worry if government officials are going to make living your life impossible too. 

As a white cis-gendered female asexual 

Please Please Please stop harming my trans siblings.

When others speak against my trans siblings it feels like they are going my favorite color is red so having someone else's favorite color be green or yellow or purple is a real threat to my favorite color and must be stopped. Or they are saying I thought as an infant their favorite color would be red but now they say their favorite color is purple how dare they have a different favorite color now that they better understand themselves.

If some one can understand people have different favorite colors and how sometimes you start with one favorite color but realize later in life a different color is now your favorite they should be able to understand it is the same with gender. People have different genders and sometimes find the gender that fit well at one point no longer does, or the original gender never really fit well to begin with but they did not know there were other options. 

So today, like all days, please remember that #TransRightsAreHumanRights and that my trans siblings just want to be able to live their lives. They want to be able to play sports, to pee, to have government documents match their gender, to walk down the street without worrying about if they are going to experience abuse or discrimination today. 

Why is allowing someone be comfortable in their own skin so threatening to so many? 

Don't Make Fun Of Health Issues Both/And Don't Slap Others

This weekend we were all reminded that common sense is not common at all. 

Uncommon Common Sense #1

Do not make fun of/tease/insult someone's spouse, family member, or friend who has a medical condition. The only people who can make fun of a medical condition are the individuals who have that medical condition. 

For example I know of comedians who make jokes about the fact they have had cancer or have loss a limb but the same exact jokes coming from someone without an experience of cancer, or a loss of a limb would move into being completely inappropriate. 

There is a tiny bit of wiggle room if you care for or support someone with a medical condition. Then if the person who has the condition is ok with the joke you can consider using it even though it is not your personal experience because you still have a personal connection to someone who does.

(Note this also goes for any trauma, mental health issue, gender, sexuality, pretty much anything. If it is not your story/your identity/your experience don't make fun of it or insult others who have that story/identity/experience)

Uncommon Common Sense #2

Don't slap someone on live TV. Don't slap someone full stop. 

Get angry? Say something? Take action? -- Go ahead, sometimes we need to stand up against injustices. Sometimes we have to put on bodies on the line in order to keep others safe. 

Slap/punch/physically harm someone for saying something insulting/rude/etc? -- Nope, while the Oscars slap is being talked about by everyone I doubt it will lead to any real change. 

We all get angry at some point especially when someone or something we love is being attacked. Getting angry is a healthy response to injustice. On the other hand allowing that anger to turn into a slap/punch etc is no healthy (Unless you are in a kickboxing class etc)

So if you want to know some uncommon, common sense: Don't Make Fun Of Health Issues Both/And Don't Slap Others

Exploring Moulin Rouge The Musical

 

Thanks to the Moulin Rouge (Chicago) Official Ticket Lottery I got to go and see the wonderful, good vibes, high energy, Moulin Rouge. It was simply amazing. I totally understand why the show won 10 TONYs. It was a great mix of music, adding a lot of songs that came out in the last 10-20 years while keeping most of the classic songs that we all remember from the movie. 

It felt so good to get back to live theater. I had not been to any in person theater since before COVID so 2-3 years ago at this point. This was the type of show that there was thunderous applause after every single musical number. It was a combo of musical, concert, and interactive stage show. It was an all together welcoming and celebratory return to theater.

In the end I doubt there was a single person who did not want to can can dance all the way home. Over all Moulin Rouge The Musical was a simply amazing show. I would highly recommend going if you have a chance (and with the ticket lottery you have a chance to get $25 (well $29 after all the fees etc.) tickets which are affordable treat for many of us.

I will say the show also got me thinking about the historical context of the show and how it has been so hard for so many people through out history, for those economically challenged, for women, for those with health issues, for those who for what ever reason did not fit in nor had access to the upper levels of society. 

The importance of this context is shown by how many shows have a similar story: The opera La Bohème, Rent, and Moulin Rouge. Each of these shows consider the strengths and limits of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love. We all need Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love but we also need to be able to have shelter, and food, and access to basic medical care when needed.

While we all need the ideals of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love and such ideals can help us build the communities and connections we need to thrive as shown in Les Misérables we also need to be able to have those in relation to bread and water and shelter. It can be easy to fall into the trap where all we talk about is Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love but don't actually consider the importance of meeting peoples basic needs.

The show also got me to think about the meaning of Love: 

• What is Love?
• What is healthy Love?
• How far will love take you?
• Is Love always enough?

While especially in Moulin Rouge The Musical, Christian is more caring and considerate of Satine than The Duke of Monroth both men in their own ways feel they know better than Satine about what she should want from life. Now they do have different visions for her, one wants her to be a kept woman, and the other wants her to give up everything for love. 

Part of me thinks that Christian is seen as the noble hero in part because Satine dies. If someone is in hospice you hope they choose Love not money but if Satine lived I wonder if they would have really gotten a happily ever after.  

Christian and The Duke of Monroth both have sexual intercourse with her the very same night they meet her (assuming when Christian sings "Just one night, give me just one night" he is not referring to a nice and platonic evening of simply talking and having some dinner.) 

Yes she was a high end prostitute but it still feels very creepy and slimy and makes Christian's whole this is only about love feel problematic. His reaction is not love but lust or infatuation. If you want to speak about Love to Satine start by creating a relationship that is not based on her profession of being a sex worker.

In addition Christian seems to have a savor complex. He wants to "save" Satine from her life. He wants to "save" Satine in the name of Love. While Christian is a sweet boy his love still seems problematic in the sense if some random guy came up to me on the street and said they were in love with me I would probably want to run in the opposite direction. 

In many ways the sweetest relationship is the one between Toulouse-Lautrec and Satine which is built on understanding what each had to do to survive. There is a gentle feeling of love that is based on age and wisdom not simple based on sex and lust.

Moulin Rouge is a wonderful show but it does make you think about the meaning of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love and what roles those ideals should play in our lives and in our relationships.   

Rain Songs (Put A Smile On Your Face)

 

So after being caught in the rain without my umbrella for the 3rd time in a week here are some songs about rain to put a smile on your face.

(Singing In The Rain)

(Lip Sync Battle - Tom Holland Umbrella)

(The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men)

(Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains)

(Prince -- Purple Rain)

Spring Cleaning, Spring Self Love

 

Spring is officially here bringing with it warmer temps and invigorating sunlight. This is also a time where many of us undergo some type of spring cleaning. This is a good season to open the windows in our lives and let in some fresh air. 

While breezes are always nice sometimes we find we need a bit of metaphoric fresh air. We need to open our internal windows and let in something new. We need to (in the words of Wentworth Miller) find new ways to vibrate at the right frequency.

Sometimes the best way to grow into our best and boldest and most wonderful selves is to ask our selves questions such as:

What actions are bringing us Joy?
What actions should we let go of in order to grow?

What activities are bringing us Joy?
What activities should we let go of in order to grow?

What behaviors are bringing us Joy?
What behaviors should we let go of in order to grow?

What beliefs are bringing us Joy?
What beliefs should we let go of in order to grow?

What communities are bringing us Joy?
What communities should we let go of in order to grow?

What dreams are bringing us Joy?
What dreams should we let go of in order to grow?

What hopes are bringing us Joy?
What hopes should we let go of in order to grow?

What material items are bringing us Joy?
What material items should we let go of in order to grow?

What thoughts are bringing us Joy?
What thoughts should we let go of in order to grow?

What relationships are bringing us Joy?
What relationships should we let go of in order to grow?

If we ask ourselves these type of questions we can determine

What we would love to become this season of spring

And what steps we have to take in order to become our 

Best and Boldest and Most Wonderful Selves

I will end with a poem I wrote for us all this spring

Happy Happy Spring

May this be a season of growth

Growth of new opportunities

Growth of new imaginings

Growth of our amazing selves

May this be a season of growth

Happy Happy Spring

Pictures For A Rainy Day

Today is a cold and rainy day

So I thought I would share various photos I have taken in the past

To help bring a big more color to a gray day

Celtic Goddesses, Gods, Druids

So tomorrow is the day that St Patrick is celebrated though his story is one who helped destroy the faith traditions and magic of the people of Ireland. So here is a little info on all the Goddesses, Gods, and Druids who were there long before St Patrick came and got a holiday named after him.

The info is from Wikipedia 

Goddesses

The Celtic goddesses are not divided by singular qualities such as "love goddess", but are more of the nature of well-rounded humans, who have areas of special interests or skills. In this way, they do not correspond directly to other pantheons such as those of the Greeks or Romans. A number of the goddesses are associated with sacred sites where seasonal festivals are held. Warrior Goddesses are often depicted as a triad, and connected with sovereignty and sacred animals. 

Gods

The Irish Gods are divided into four main groups. Group one encompasses the older gods of Gaul and Britain. The second group is the main focus of much of the mythology and surrounds the native Irish gods with their homes in burial mounds (The Great Barrows of the Dead). The third group are the gods that dwell in the sea and the fourth group includes stories of the Otherworld.

Druids

An order of priests and philosophers highly revered in Celtic society. The root deru- implies solidarity, firmness as a tree is steadfast. The Indo-European root wid- means "to know." Druids could be male or female and were often compared to Roman flamines and Indian brahmins. Druids in Gaul had authority over divine worship, and also officiated sacrifices, exercised authority over legislation and judicial matters, and educated elite youth about their order.

A Visit To The Art Institute Of Chicago

Today I got to the art institute for the first time since before Covid. 

It was fun seeing some of my old friends 

Plus seeing some new exhibits too (such as seeing a mummy)  

Here is a collection of photos I took on todays adventure. 

They are a random sampling of pieces of art that caught my eye.